I'll also second that status meant something on UA.

A few years ago, I started as 3P (barely above gate lice) on my way to 1K that year. UA "promised" us that planes would be held in DEN due to weather and we'd make our flight. Yeah, I was skeptical too.

Of course, you can imagine what happened. We got into DEN late, and by the time we ran to the gate, the door was closed and we were SOL. Fortunately, the "earlier" flight to BWI was delayed and hadn't left yet. Took my son and we went to the gate. I asked to be added to the standby list and he said that it was looking dicey. I told him I was a 3P and he immediately issued my son and I BPs ... although not together they were close and in the back of the plane. At least we made the flight.

He said he'd work on getting us together. Checked back an hour later and he had 2 seats for us - in E+ and together. ^

All of that as a lowly 3P. I'd have given him a GTEM card if I had one, but I wrote into UA to compliment him. UA never told him - confirmed when I ran into him a couple months later in DEN.

On another note, I had an interesting conversation with a UA FA on Friday on the parking shuttle. When she told me she flew for UA, I told her I used to be a UA devotee, but that had changed. She asked why and I just said Smisek. She said that she had been hearing that a lot lately, and it was sad what how they were changing MP and screwing FFs. Definitely the CO mentality took over. Sad.

US has been treating me well though in the meantime. Just hit gold last night.